Introduction
The hospitality industry has become quite competitive in recent years. Hotels have to step up their game to get those five-star reviews on Google Business and Booking.com.
One way hotels do this is by keeping their amenities in pristine condition. You don't see a yellowish or moldy hotel towel when you stay at a five-star hotel, do you? The same goes for hotel bedding, too.
But have you ever thought about how hotels keep their towels white and spotless? Let's look at ways to keep a towel soft and clean with a few cleaning hacks.
8 Ways Hotels Keep Their Towels White
The good news is there's no one magic trick involved in keeping towels spotless. Simply adopt the following cleaning tips to keep your towels soft and bright white.
Bleach White Towels
It shouldn't come as a surprise that bleach is involved in keeping hotel towels white. Hotels use oxygen or chlorine bleach, depending on the type of fabric and stains.
Oxygen bleach is a form of hydrogen peroxide and releases oxygen to remove stains without damaging the fabric. You can use it as a pre-treatment before washing your towels, too. Only use bleach if you're washing a white sheet or towel. Bleaching colored garments will fade their color.
Use Optimal Water Temperature
Do you use cold water to wash your towels? That's probably why they've started to lose their color.
Towels have to be washed in hot water. Check the care label to see the maximum temperature the fabric can handle.
Hot water does a lot more than just cleaning the towels. It also sanitizes them and removes bacteria or body oils. It also leaves the towel feeling fluffy.
Use Quality Laundry Detergent
Hotels use a heavy-duty laundry detergent to wash their towels. These detergents usually come in powder formulations. They contain phosphates, which help dissolve stains and dirt better than liquid detergents.
In some cases, hotels may use a fabric softener to give towels a fluffier feel and reduce static electricity.
Avoid Overloading the Washing Machine
A common mistake people make when washing towels is overloading the machine. Since your towels don't have enough room in the washer tub to circulate, they don't get properly cleaned.
Hotels avoid this by using industrial-sized washers that have plenty of space for towels to move around. They also run multiple loads rather than trying to cram everything into one.
Pre-Soak Towels
What do you do when your bath towel or wash towel has a stubborn stain? You throw it in the washer and hope for the best.
Hotels don't do that. They pre-soak their towels in vinegar or oxygen bleach. After soaking, they wash the towels with hot water and a regular detergent.
They may also use a fabric conditioner to soften the towels. Similarly, if a towel smells musty, the cleaners at the hotel may use baking soda to deodorize it.
Air Dry or Use Low Heat
Here's another common mistake: using high heat to dry towels. When you use high heat, you risk shrinking the towel or damaging its fibers.
Have you ever noticed how your towels get dingy and rough after a few washes? That's because the heat breaks down the fibers.
When drying towels, hotels use a low heat setting. Alternatively, they sometimes reduce the drying time in the dryer and then air dry the towels until they're completely dry.
Air drying is the preferred method because it allows the towels to fluff up without any heat damage. You can do the same at home, too. Hang your towels in the sun or near an open window.
Treat Stains Promptly
Housekeeping at hotels changes towels and linens regularly. They keep an eye on any stains on the towels and treat them promptly.
If a white sheet or towel is stained, they use a commercial stain remover or a natural stain-fighting solution like lemon juice or vinegar. That's why the hotel bedding and towels always look spotless.
You can use the same method at home, too. Suppose you accidentally stain the towel with makeup. Don't delay the clean-up because the stain will set in.
Take a clean cloth and blot the stain with vinegar. Rinse with cold water and then wash the towel as usual to remove any residue. For a white towel, you can also use bleach to remove stubborn stains.
Hire Professional Laundering Services
Oftentimes, hotels don't want to go through the hassle of bleaching, spot-cleaning, pre-soaking, washing, during, and so on. So, they outsource the laundering to a professional laundry service like Rinse.
Here's how it helps:
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Best-In-Class Cleaning: Rinse offers top-notch laundering services to gyms, hotels, and other organizations.
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Real-Time Communication: Rinse provides real-time updates on the status of the laundry as it goes through the cleaning process. Hotels know when to expect clean linens and towels.
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Customer Offerings: At Rinse, we understand that different customers have different needs. We customize our services to meet every hotel's specialized laundry needs.
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Single Point of Contact: A hotel may have multiple locations. Rinse offers a single point of contact for all locations to manage and coordinate laundering services conveniently.
More importantly, Rinse's eco-friendly practices mean there is no harmful chemical waste involved in the laundering process.
Maintaining Towels White in the Long Run
One-time cleaning is often not even. You want to maintain the whiteness of towels in the long run. Here are some strategies for it.
Rotate the Towels Regularly
If you keep using one side of the towel, it will start to wear out. After a few months of regular usage, you'll end up with an uneven white shade on your towels.
Avoid this by rotating the towels regularly. This way, you'll use both sides of the towels, and they'll wear out evenly.
Store Towels Properly
Don't just throw your towels in a pile after washing them. Instead, store them in a cool and dry place. Also, fold them neatly and keep them in a designated area to prevent discoloration.
Always let your towels dry completely before storing them to avoid mildew growth.
Follow Care Label Instructions
Different towels have different fabric compositions and care instructions. Follow the care label instructions for washing and drying the towels.
If the care label has come off, go to the manufacturer's website to find the appropriate instructions. You can also drop them an email for detailed instructions.
Wash Towels Periodically
Do your towels only come across the laundry machine once every few months? That's a no-no. Regular cleaning is imperative for whiter and softer towels.
Schedule a day to wash all your towels at least once a week to remove accumulated dirt and bacteria.
Want Your White Towels To Shine? Outsource Your Laundry
Hotels are already outsourcing their laundry. Why shouldn't you follow suit?
At Rinse, we're experts in laundry services. We know how to tackle stains on a white towel and how to deal with colored ones. Similarly, we're familiar with the care tips for different fabric types.
Besides towels, we can also wash and fold your other garments. All you need to do is schedule a pickup, and we'll pick up your dirty load right from your doorstep. You can request our services through our app or website.
We also offer dry cleaning services for your special clothes that might need extra care. Just let us know your requirements, and we'll do the rest for you.
Contact us at Rinse today to see our skill in action.
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